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Site Plan Review, P2016-0033-SPR, for the renovation and improvement of an existing eight-story office building at 10000 Washington Boulevard in the Commercial General (CG) Zone
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Contact Person/Dept: Peter Sun, Assistant Planner
Thomas Gorham, Planning Manager
Phone Number: 310.253.5710
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [x] General Fund: Yes [] No [x]
Public Hearing: [x] Action Item: [] Attachments: []
Public Notification: Mailed to all property owners and occupants within a 500-foot radius, Public Notice, emailed to the City's master distribution list, and posted on the City's website on June 1, 2016; Sign posted on subject property on June 10, 2016
Department Approval: Sol Blumenfeld, Community Development Director (6/16/16)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Planning Commission:
1. Adopt a Categorical Exemption pursuant to CEQA Section 15332, Class 32, In-fill development project, finding that there are no potentially significant adverse impacts on the environment.
2. Approve Site Plan Review, SPR P2016-0033-SPR, subject to the Conditions of Approval as stated in Resolution No. 2016-P007 (Attachment No. 1).
PROCEDURES
1. Chair calls on staff for a brief staff report and Planning Commission poses questions to staff as desired.
2. Chair opens the public hearing, providing the applicant the first opportunity to speak, followed by the general public.
3. Chair seeks a motion to close the public hearing after all testimony has been presented.
4. Commission discusses the matter and arrives at its decision.
BACKGROUND
Request
On February 24, 2016, an application was submitted by Gensler Architects on behalf of the owner LBA Realty (who purchased the building in early 2015) for a Site Plan Review for a proposed renovation of an existing approximately 276,645 square foot eight-story office building with three levels of subterranean parking known as the Sony Pictures Plaza (SPP). The proposed renovation includes new building fa?ade materials, improvements to the atrium lobby, upgrades to the existing office space, change of uses from some office space to retail and fitness uses, the addition of retail and restaurant uses along the Culver Boulevard frontage, and new landscape and outdoor amenities. The proposed project will result in approximately 261,816 square feet of office use, 21,756 square feet of retail and restaurant use, and 3,687 square feet of fitness club use.
Existing Conditions
The SPP building is located on a 3.52 acre site at 10000 Washington Boulevard that occupies a city block bounded by Washington Boulevard to the northwest, Duquesne Avenue to the northeast, Culver Boulevard to the southeast, and Madison Avenue to the southwest. The building was constructed in 1986 and has been leased and occupied by Sony for over 25 years. Sony currently is constructing a new eight-story 218,450 square foot office building on their lot adjacent to the Overland Avenue entrance and will be vacating the SPP building.
The property is zoned Commercial General (CG) and designated General Corridor by the General Plan. Surrounding uses include: the Harlow mixed use building, office uses and a Wells Fargo Bank across Washington Boulevard to the northwest; the Kirk Douglas Theater and restaurants across Duquesne Avenue to the northeast; a mix of commercial and medium density residential uses across Culver Boulevard to the southeast; and Sony Pictures Studio across Madison Avenue to the southwest.
Project Description
According to the applicant, the intention of the proposed improvements is to reposition and transform an inward-facing single-tenant office building, into a multi-tenant, outward-facing creative office building with ground floor retail, pedestrian and tenant amenities, and new public spaces. Proposed improvements are outlined below:
* The Culver Boulevard fa?ade will be transformed into an extension of the retail and restaurant uses to the east in Downtown Culver City. A new fa?ade along Culver Boulevard will provide a framework for retail and restaurant tenants with an exterior deck elevated above the sidewalk for outdoor seating and dining.
* The Madison side of the project will be improved with new hardscape and landscape, creating a park like setting with seating and wood decking that will serve as the "front yard" to the building entrance along with new retail tenants on the corners of the building.
* The existing atrium lobby will be transformed into an amenity for the office tenants with seating areas for groups large and small along with food and beverage kiosks. The atrium space will have new connections to both Culver and Washington Boulevards through new entrances at both streets. The lower floors of the office areas will be connected and opened to the atrium with new stairs connecting balconies and elevator lobbies. The rear of the atrium will be enclosed with a 'jewel box" space that could be used for an office or specialty retail tenant.
* Glazing and a new entrance along with new landscape and hardscape areas will be added to the Washington Boulevard side to make it more pedestrian friendly.
* Landscape and signage improvements along the Duquesne side of the building will unify and brand the project. In addition, new screening walls will be provided to hide the loading dock and trash area.
* Minor modifications to the subterranean garage includes new bike lockers and reserve space for valet parking queuing. All circulation, spaces, and aisle widths remain unchanged.
* The existing stone facade exterior of the building will be refinished with a contemporary metal panel cladding system in a light grey and darker grey color palette.
As outlined in the Preliminary Development Plans (Attachment No. 3) the scope of the project includes the addition of 5,863 square feet of office on the second floor, and the conversion of existing non-leasable space into new leasable space. The proposed project will result in a total of 287,259 square feet of net leasable space in the building: 261,816 square feet of office; 21,756 square feet of retail/restaurant space; and 3,687 square feet of fitness studio.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION
Exterior and Building Fa?ade Improvements
The exterior of the entire building is currently finished with a stone fa?ade in a soft pink and brown color palette. In order to modernize the building, the facade will be refinished with a new metal panel cladding structurally adhered to the existing stone fa?ade. The metal panels are a light grey on the upper levels and a darker grey on the ground floor. The existing sloped glazing above the main entrance into the atrium/lobby will remain. New hardscape and landscape elements will be added to the front of the building facing Madison Avenue to create a park like setting with seating areas and wood decking that will serve as the "front yard" to the building entrance. In addition new retail tenant storefronts will be introduced on the corners of the building.
Retail and restaurant storefronts along with a new entrance into the atrium/lobby will be introduced to the ground floor along the Culver Boulevard frontage consisting of an aluminum framed storefront glazing system and a dark grey metal panel cladding fa?ade with steel awnings over the storefronts that will also serve as a base for tenant signage. The storefronts will be enhanced with a new outdoor raised platform for outdoor seating and dining consisting of poured in place concrete paving, concrete planters and concrete stairs with metal railings leading to the sidewalk.
The Washington Boulevard side will be enhanced with a new aluminum framed storefront glazing system along with a new building entrance and concrete stairs into the atrium/lobby. Existing planter areas will be enhanced with new plant material.
On the Duquesne Avenue side of the project, the existing loading dock and trash area will be enhanced with a new board formed concrete screen wall with an integrated stainless steel project identity sign.
The applicant believes that these improvements are essential for remarketing and rebranding the building for the creative office market and will provide significant amenities for both the public and the tenants.
Interior Improvements
The project includes several improvements to the interior of the building for new creative office tenants and new retail and restaurant uses. On the ground floor, the building's interior is transformed from a circular pattern to a more traditional right angle pattern which makes dividing the space for multi-tenants easier in the future. A two-story tenant space is added in the center of the building called the "jewel box". The jewel box is intended for a large anchor office or retail tenant. The atrium lobby will be enhanced with new wood and poured in place concrete seating areas, landscape planters and retail/food kiosks. A new grand stair will connect to the second floor. The upper level office spaces will be enhanced with new balconies overlooking the atrium area. In addition, retail, restaurant, and fitness components are added to the ground floor of the atrium space with a new interior aluminum framed storefront glazing system. The existing stone interior fa?ade will be refinished with a new metal panel cladding similar to the new exterior metal panel cladding. Staff believes that the interior improvements to the building work in parallel with the exterior improvements in helping to remarket and rebrand the building to the creative office market.
Land Uses
The proposed and existing office uses along with the new retail, restaurant and fitness use are all permitted uses in the CG zone and supported by the General Corridor General Plan land use designation. The strong retail/food and beverage component on the Culver Boulevard frontage and at either side of the building entry will extend the retail and restaurant land use pattern of the Downtown westward. In addition, new amenities including outdoor seating and dining, landscape and hardscape improvements to the streetscape will create a pedestrian scale to the building enhancing the pedestrian experience.
Parking
The existing three level subterranean garage contains a total of 1,174 parking spaces. The parking garage is accessed via existing drive ramps off of Madison Avenue and off of Duquesne Avenue. No changes to the drive ramps are proposed as part of the renovations. The three level subterranean garage will not be altered except for a few minor changes. Circulation patterns on all three levels remain the same. Some ADA improvements are proposed on P1 to meet new requirements. New bike storage and bike racks are proposed on P1 along with new bike racks along Washington Boulevard and Culver Boulevard. The existing subterranean parking consists of a large number of tandem parking spaces and compact spaces. A total of 1,172 parking spaces are provided with 930 or 79% of the spaces provided in tandem. The existing valet parking program will be maintained along with some limited self-parking.
When the project was originally approved the required parking ratio was 2.5 spaces/1000 square feet of gross leasable floor area or 1 space/400 square feet of floor area. Current Zoning Code required parking ratios for office uses are 1 space/350 square feet of floor area. The parking for the retail and restaurant uses is 1 space/250 square feet of floor area and 1 space/200 square feet of floor area is required for the fitness use.
Parking must be allocated to meet the requirements of newly converted leasable area and to accommodate change of use from office to retail/restaurant. The following chart provides parking calculations of the required parking allocation per use with the current zoning code required parking ratios.
LEVEL
OFFICE
RETAIL/
RESTAURANT
FITNESS
TOTAL USABLE
LEVEL 1
30,107
21,756
3,687
55,550
LEVEL 2
49,709
49,709
LEVEL 3
42,058
42,058
LEVEL 4
32,180
32,180
LEVEL 5
30,014
30,014
LEVEL 6
27,702
27,702
LEVEL 7
25,952
25,952
LEVEL 8
24,095
24,095
TOTAL
261,816
21,756
3,687
287,259
REQUIRED PARKING
1 space / 350 sf
= 748 spaces
1 space / 250 sf
= 87 spaces
1space / 200 sf
= 19 spaces
854 total required spaces
Using the applicable parking ratio requirements for office, retail/restaurant and fitness uses a total of 854 parking spaces are required for the planned uses. Out of a total of 1,172 spaces provided, the existing parking garage provides a surplus of 318 spaces. This surplus parking will help support leasing efforts for creative office tenants who typically demand more parking, as well as provide flexibility for future retail spaces. Also, there may be opportunities for leasing surplus parking to other businesses in the area that have insufficient parking. Further, there may be opportunities for sharing the office and/or surplus parking for off-site evening and weekend uses.
Traffic
A traffic analysis was prepared for the proposed project by LSA Associates dated May 2016 (Attachment No. 4). The traffic analysis was reviewed and accepted by the City Traffic Engineer. The analysis analyzed the project with regards to projected trip generation, transportation system impacts, and impacts to surrounding intersections. Table A of the Traffic Analysis illustrates the estimated trip generation changes resulting from the project.
The proposed project has the potential to generate approximately 4,202 trips per day, including approximately 439 trips in the a.m. peak hour and approximately 474 trips in the p.m. peak hour. The net trip generation would add approximately 272 trips per day, including a reduction of 57 trips in the a.m. peak hour and an addition of 26 trips in the p.m. peak hour. Because the proposed project would generate fewer trips in the a.m. peak hour and the addition of fewer than 50 trips in the p.m. peak hour an intersection Level of Service (LOS) analyses was not required. Based on the estimated trip generation as determined by the Traffic Analysis, the City Traffic Engineer has determined that the net impact on traffic is minimal and a full traffic study was not required.
PUBLIC OUTREACH
As part of the project review process, one community meeting was held. The applicant invited interested persons to provide comments and feedback regarding the proposed project. A community meeting was held Thursday, October 8, 2015 at the Veterans Memorial Building. Invitations were sent by the applicant on September 23, 2015 to all property owners and occupants within a 500-foot radius of the project site. Approximately 15 people attended the meeting. The majority of questions were focused on public right-of-way and outdoor improvements and were generally positive. A summary of the community meeting is contained in Attachment No. 5
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION
Pursuant to Section 15332 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the project is categorically exempt under the In-fill Development Projects exemption by meeting the following criteria:
(a) The project is consistent with the applicable General Plan policies as well as with applicable zoning designation and regulations.
The project is located in a Commercial General (CG) zone and designated General Corridor by the General Plan. The proposed use, which is a mix of office, retail, and restaurant uses, is compatible with objectives of the General Corridor land use designation in that it supports desirable existing and future neighborhood and community serving commercial uses. The project is also compatible with applicable development standards of the Zoning Code.
(b) The proposed development occurs within city limits on a project site of no more than five acres substantially surrounded by urban uses.
The project occurs on a project site of 3.52 acres located within the limits of the City of Culver City. The site is developed with an existing eight-story office building and is surrounded by developed parcels of similar office, restaurant, general retail, and studio uses.
(c) The project site has no value as habitat for endangered, rare or threatened species.
The project site has no value as habitat for endangered, rare or threatened species because it is improved with an existing eight-story office building and subterranean garage. No building structure or other improvements are being added to site that would displace habitat above ground. No subterranean excavation is planned that would impact habitat below ground.
(d) Approval of the project would not result in any significant effects relating to traffic, noise, air quality, or water quality.
A traffic analysis was prepared for the proposed project dated May 2016 and addressed projected trip generation, transportation system impacts, and impacts to surrounding intersections. The City Traffic Engineer has reviewed the traffic analysis and determined that the project would not result in significant traffic impacts.
The project is proposed in an area of the City that is developed with existing infrastructure, roads, utilities, and services. The area is also developed with similar commercial uses. The project would not result in significant noise, air quality, or water quality impacts.
(e) The site can be adequately served by all required utilities and public services.
The project site is adequately served by existing infrastructure, roads, utilities, and services. The City Traffic Engineer has reviewed the traffic analysis and level of service analysis and determined that the public streets are adequate to serve the proposed project. The project involves the renovation of an existing office building that is adequately serviced by existing utilities and public services. The project will not result in a significantly greater demand for utilities and public services.
CONCLUSION/SUMMARY
The Sony Pictures Plaza building is a significant building in the downtown... The building successfully served as office space for Sony Studios for over 25 years. With Sony vacating the building, the new ownership have been provided an opportunity to rebrand and remarket the building for creative office and restaurant and retail use. The proposed renovations will transform the building with a new contemporary facade and introduce new outward facing retail and restaurant uses along Culver Boulevard extending the pedestrian oriented downtown streetscape to the west. In addition, the front entrance of the building along Madison Avenue will be transformed from a primarily hardscape area dedicated to vehicular movement into a park like "front yard" for the building with new landscape, hardscape and seating amenities for building tenants and the public. Interior improvements including the enhanced atrium lobby will be transformed into an amenity for the office tenants and the public with seating areas for groups large and small along with food and beverage kiosks and landscaping creating a dynamic indoor space that complements the outdoor space. Based on the analysis contained herein and as outlined in the findings contained in the attached resolution, staff recommends the Planning Commission approve the application subject to the recommended conditions of approval.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Draft Resolution No. 2016-P007 and Exhibit A: Conditions of Approval
2. Vicinity Map
3. Preliminary Development Plans dated , 2016
4. Traffic Analysis
5. Community Meeting Summary